wtm@decvax.dec.com (Bill McGarry) (02/13/90)
THE HANDICAP DIGEST
Issue # 1092
Tuesday, February 13, 1990
Today's Topics:
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Re: Tty
Re: Fingers Features
SEEBEEP
Telecaption goofs
Re: The Guide Dog School In San Rafael
Downs Syndrome
Re: ADVERTISEMENT?
Re: advertisements
Re: Kicking a Dead Horse?
Re: Musings of a demented mind
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Subject: Re: Tty
Written by: Jack.O'keeffe@f89.n129.z1.fidonet.org (Jack O'keeffe)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:129/89 - BlinkLink, Pittsburgh PA
[This is from the Silent Talk Conference]
FM> how can I make my computer talk to a tty machine....then I only
FM> have to deal with one box!
It's not real easy, Frank, maybe more trouble than dealing with two
boxes. Some of the newer TTYs (TDDs) are switchable between ASCII and
BAUDOT codes, and your PC should be able to takl to them by putting your
comm program in "chat" mode. But most of the TDDs currently in use are
strictly BAUDOT which is the old 5-level teletype code - not directly
compatible with PCs.
There are a few modems, all outrageously priced, that purport to be
able to bridge the ASCII-BAUDOT gap. There are even a few BBSs that
support both, but mostly are multi-line to keep the two codes separate.
There is also the speed difference to consider. 110 bps is adequate
for online typing and reading on TDDs. But it is rediculously slow
for PCs.
Karen Winnett (Vixen*), the new SysOp of 1:203/11, is making her
board accessable to ASCII TDDs. Dick Barth of the HEX board in
Silver Spring, MD is multi-line and supports both ASCII and BAUDOT.
He is an excellent source of information if you really want to get
into this.
Jack.
... HI-HoH Silver, Awayyyyy!
--
Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!129!89!Jack.O'keeffe
Internet: Jack.O'keeffe@f89.n129.z1.fidonet.org
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Subject: Re: Fingers Features
Written by: Jack.O'keeffe@f89.n129.z1.fidonet.org (Jack O'keeffe)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:129/89 - BlinkLink, Pittsburgh PA
[This is from the Silent Talk Conference]
AS> Jack, there is not a SHHH chapter in Lawton, I don't think.
AS> However, it might not be a bad idea to start one here. We do
AS> have one HI organization called Friends.
Ann, I'm almost certain that I saw Lawton, OK listed once as having
a SHHH chapter or group. But in my disorganized state I can't locate
the list now. Either way, you should contact Joan Kleinrock at SHHH
headquarters, 7800 Wisconsin Ave., Bethesda, MD 20814. Joan is the
Chapter Coordinator for SHHH, and she can tell you how to get in touch
with a chapter or group if one exists, or can send you a "kit" to
help get one started there if not. Local support groups are great,
but there are SO MANY benefits of being affiliated with a national
(oops, I should say international) one like SHHH. The publications
alone are worth the cost, many times over. (Right, Wayne?)
AS> BTW, did anyone read a copy of the Washington Post yesterday
AS> (Feb. 7th) about the ADA supporters? I hunted all over town
AS> for a copy today and could not find one. Two of our libraries
AS> do receive the Post but it takes 7 to 8 days to receive them.
AS> Sigh... I did call the local newspaper to see if they could
AS> pick up on it since several names from Oklahoma were listed.
No, darn it! I heard about it too late to buy a copy so I have to
wait and read it in the library. I'll look for your name.
AS> Also, I understand a Senator Dingell(sp?) is against the relay
AS> system portion in the bill. He feels the states should take it
AS> over (which is already in effect in some states) rather than
AS> make it a nationwide system. Has anyone been keeping up with
AS> what's going on in DC?
Check with your brother to see if he has any info, Ann. I've been
wondering what (if anything) is happening. Our statewide relay in
Pennsylvania should be operational by 4th quarter 1990. It will be
intrastate - not interstate - and patterned on the New York state
system. But if Dingell thinks it should be left as-is, he is WAY
off base. Why should HI people be restricted to calling within
their state of residence?.
Someone from his state, please explain things to him.
Jack.
... HI-HoH Silver, Awayyyyy!
--
Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!129!89!Jack.O'keeffe
Internet: Jack.O'keeffe@f89.n129.z1.fidonet.org
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Subject: SEEBEEP
Written by: Jack.O'keeffe@f26.n129.z1.fidonet.org (Jack O'keeffe)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:129/26 - SoundingBoard, Pittsburgh PA
[This is from the Silent Talk Conference]
Hi, Wayne. Stu sent SeeBeep to me, and I have to say that it is
of very limited value here. Possibly if I was a more accomplished
typist, and could give the screen undivided attention, it would be
more useful. As it is, fully half my attention is on trying to hit
the correct keys, and I miss seeing the little "BEEP" on screen.
Since it is a TSR, and does intercept the beep to the speaker, it
would be useful if it could optionally supress the speaker as well.
That would help preserve domestic tranquility for those of us who
are addicted to late night BBSing, and live with hearing partners
who prefer to sleep.
I use the Silver Xpress reader, which has "exploding windows" for
menus and messages. You should see what SeeBeep does to those.
The exploding window is made by rapidly alternating calls to the
screen and to the speaker. Since SeeBeep intercepts the speaker
calls it has the effect of making the window "explode" in slow
motion.
I am using a beta (or is it a gamma) version of Silver Xpress, and
it has an interesting new feature that solved my personal "beep"
problem. With it you can configure the audio frequency of the beeps.
Since I have a corner of residual low frequency hearing in my "good"
ear, I configured the reader to beep at 400 hz. and I can hear it.
Thanks for bringing SeeBeep to our attention.
Jack.
... HI-HoH Silver, Awayyyyy!
--
Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!129!26!Jack.O'keeffe
Internet: Jack.O'keeffe@f26.n129.z1.fidonet.org
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Subject: Telecaption goofs
Written by: Jack.O'keeffe@f26.n129.z1.fidonet.org (Jack O'keeffe)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:129/26 - SoundingBoard, Pittsburgh PA
[This is from the Silent Talk Conference]
Watching the CBS "Sunday Morning" show today, in the segment concerning
the release of Mandela in South Africa, there was the caption line:
"DESPITE RUM BLINKS FROM THE RIGHT"
Immediately I thought of our mutual friend Willie Wilson, and completely
lost the thread of the TV report. It took me a while to figure out that
"RUM BLINKS" should have been "RUMBLINGS" :-)
Jack.
... HI-HoH Silver, Awayyyyy!
--
Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!129!26!Jack.O'keeffe
Internet: Jack.O'keeffe@f26.n129.z1.fidonet.org
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Subject: Re: The Guide Dog School In San Rafael
Written by: Reed.Hopkins@f7.n125.z1.fidonet.org (Reed Hopkins)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:125/7 - Survival Communicat, Santa Rosa CA
I think that that attitude you found at the school you went to
needs to be stood up against loudly and with spirit. I'm sick and
tired of being treated like a juvenile. If the people who are
getting the dogs lack inteklligence, that's one thing, but if they
simply lack maturity its most likly because people have been
treating them like children all their lives. If they have to
suffer the consequences of their immaturity, so be it. That's what
it takes to acheive maturity.
I'm also g*****m sick and tired of having "insurance" companies
and/or potential lawsuits used as an excuse to deny me access to
the world and to dignity. If an AB woman got pregnant at the
school, would anyone think that grounds for a lawsuit? If there
was a problem, it would have to be criminal in nature, because it
would have to be rape to be a problem. Otherwise its just good
healthy adult sex. (presuming we're not talking about an in loco
parentis situation here.)
You oughta see the steam coming out of my ears right now!
And one last blast, as long as I'm flaming, if you let your
roommate chase yo out of your room in college you've no one to
blame but yourself. It's your room too, you don't have to put your
needs aside for others unless you want to. Obviously the men's
roommates wouldn't.
Being a victim is to often self inflicted.
-- Reed (Ruffled ~~~~)
--
Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!125!7!Reed.Hopkins
Internet: Reed.Hopkins@f7.n125.z1.fidonet.org
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Subject: Downs Syndrome
Written by: Pat.Goltz@f3.n300.z1.fidonet.org (Pat Goltz)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:300/3 - UA Today, Tucson AZ
Guess what, folks!
I just talked to my only sister, and she told me that her newborn has
Downs Syndrome!
We had a wonderful conversation about all the things we were going to
do to help him become a capable person out there in society when he grows
up.
I would appreciate it if you all would tell me what you know about
resources for this particular situation, and what you know from your
personal experiences.
I'll keep you all posted on how he does. Here's report number one.
He's currently 4 weeks old. He is smiling and cooing, and likes to pay
attention to faces, and he responds to people with his smiling and
cooing. He likes to look at pastel colors. He has a monkey-rattle that
has lots of different colors and textures, and he likes to grab this
thing. So far, he's ahead. His main difficulty seems to be lack of muscle
tone, but there seems to have been significant improvement even in this
area.
I was able to give my sister some good resources. Since I am thinking
about it, I'll share them with you here. There are several efforts that
concentrate on this type of difficulty, and how to handle it. The one on
the cutting edge is an organization called The Michael Fund. It gathers
funds and supports research into how to solve the problem of Downs. The
primary researcher that is being supported is Professor Jerome Lejeune of
Paris, who discovered the cause of Downs. Their headquarters in the
United States is in Export, PA. I won't post the address yet because it
has been years since I thought about them, and I want to make sure I get
it right.
Another effort that has dealt with Downs is Glenn Doman's Institutes
for the Achievement of Human Potential, which is located in Philadelphia.
He was working with a fellow from a Latin American country who wrote a
book about the achievement of Downs youngsters in his country. He has
kids who have learned violin through the Suzuki method who are really
good, and he has some youngsters who can read several languages. One girl
could read about four of them, and she was only five or so. I find his
approach a little too rote, but what he does can be combined with some of
the methods I believe in to produce really fine results.
I'll tell you more next time.
Keepin' the Faith!
Pat
--
Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!300!3!Pat.Goltz
Internet: Pat.Goltz@f3.n300.z1.fidonet.org
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Subject: Re: ADVERTISEMENT?
Written by: Chita.Cazares@f114.n202.z1.fidonet.org (Chita Cazares)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:202/114 - The Chief's Mess, San Diego CA
I really agree: advertisements are a good thing to have on this echo.
The disAbled community is very expensive to reach through traditional
means and marketing costs are about 50% of the retail price of
anything. Any way we can lower the barriers to this market, I'm in
favor. It's bad enough that the disAbled are often ignored, we
shouldn't throw even more obstacles in front of a company who tries to
serve them.
The basic function of advertisement is INFORMATION. Sharing information
is a major function of this echo, too, isn't it?
--
Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!202!114!Chita.Cazares
Internet: Chita.Cazares@f114.n202.z1.fidonet.org
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Subject: Re: advertisements
Written by: Chita.Cazares@f114.n202.z1.fidonet.org (Chita Cazares)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:202/114 - The Chief's Mess, San Diego CA
I don't think affordability is necessarily a good filter. Not all
disAbled are too poor to afford Item X and if that item could help
ANYBODY, I'd like to know about it.
One of the gripes I have about marketers to the disAbled is that they
rarely talk TO the disAbled person. Yet, when you look at it from their
point of view, it's incredibly expensive to develop that contact. There
simply isn't the kind of "pointed" media existing to reach a large
number of disAbled effectively. If you have an item of interest to,
say, tennis players or artists, there are a number of magazines with
wide circulation to buy ads in. I have never seen similar material for
the disAbled on any news rack.
I really don't think the echo would be inundated by ads. There aren't
enough companies out there who want to HEAR directly from the disAbled!
These companies mostly deal with the Administrator class, where
convincing ONE person means 20 or 30 sales to the group they represent.
--
Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!202!114!Chita.Cazares
Internet: Chita.Cazares@f114.n202.z1.fidonet.org
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Subject: Re: Kicking a Dead Horse?
Written by: Chita.Cazares@f114.n202.z1.fidonet.org (Chita Cazares)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:202/114 - The Chief's Mess, San Diego CA
Okay, I read the list you quoted from the Vermont Center for
Independent Living. I've seen - and glided past - most conversations on
three different echoes referring to "what to CALL the disAbled" because
I don't really think it's a dead horse - it's a dead RED HERRING. By
the time one gets through with this latest list, which is extensive
indeed, one would like to know what, EXACTLY, is one to call the people
for whom this echo was presumably intended?
Building a conversational mine field in this area is an ironic twist
for a group trying to help a population they seem unwilling to name.
Is it so disgusting to be blind that we must call it something else? Is
it so humiliating to be mobility impaired that we must sanitize
the very mention of wheelchairs? Is having special needs so gruesome
that we must avoid asking - in fact, DEMANDING - that access should be
part of every architecture school's curriculum?
Invisibility is one of the foundational problems of the disAbled
community. Why spend time creating conversation impairment?
Like every other aspect of ANY decent human interaction, the people
involved should lay down their own rules. A blind person who wants to
be called a blink should be called a blink. A wheelchair user who wants
to be called mobility impaired should be called mobility impaired. If
they identify themselves as "a quad" then that's what polite people
should use. It's up to the PERSON.
I also object heartily to the idea that people who must make special
efforts to do X should not be singled out and admired. EVERY
extraordinary effort by anyone else is admired, why should this
community have its achievements ignored?
--
Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!202!114!Chita.Cazares
Internet: Chita.Cazares@f114.n202.z1.fidonet.org
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Subject: Re: Musings of a demented mind
Written by: Chita.Cazares@f114.n202.z1.fidonet.org (Chita Cazares)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:202/114 - The Chief's Mess, San Diego CA
How can we tell if a kid "can't learn to speak well enough to be
understood" unless we TRY to teach her?
If it becomes too stressful at some point and the student wants to
stop, we should not demand that they do something so unnatural for
them. But they should certainly be given the opportunity to learn
speech.
--
Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!202!114!Chita.Cazares
Internet: Chita.Cazares@f114.n202.z1.fidonet.org
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End of Issue # 1092 of the Handicap Digest
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